scribscrubz is a  feature where we capture your favorite local and national acts by putting pen to paper. If you see a hand furiously sketching in a crowd, that might be us, come say hi (we’re nice, I think!).  If you’re interested in more artwork from Louis, check out the Squishy Sandwich Art Facebook Page.

Veruca Salt

Anytime one of your favorite bands reunites, you have to snatch up the opportunity to see them live. There are no ifs, ands or buts. Take work off, because it’s worth it. This was Saturday night at Veruca Salt at Brighton Music Hall. Though most of the audience seemed old enough to have enjoyed seeing the band live in their hey day, this was my first time and therefore more important. Sorry I’m not sorry.

The opener was a band hailing from Portland, Oregon called Battleme. The name sounded familiar, like an album you finger over in the stacks of a record store, but I wasn’t sure what sound to expect. The second guitarist was wearing a sort of cowboy hat, so I’m not kidding. They began with a set of all business: heart racing, pounding guitar riffs and drums. These were filtered with sexy, crooning vocals from lead singer Matt Drenik. They were well matched for a tour with Veruca Salt, and Drenik commanded the audience in a way to get the crowd excited for the whole night. After a few songs, his body kicked in and started moving around the stage a lot. He showed how much he was having fun both inside and out. He paced back and forth reaching towards and the crowd and coming back to his guitar and microphone to do what he came here to do: play music.

The audience began waking up too and entertained his antics. Someone asked if he could buy the bassist. Another person offered the band “$5 for nothing,” and another handed him an empty beer bottle. Things were getting ~weird~ just in time for Veruca Salt to take the stage.

And there they were, the OG lineup of Veruca Salt: Louise Post, Nina Gordon, Jim Shapiro, and Steve Lack. These four are the real deal, and when they began playing, their sound hadn’t changed from 20 years ago. They started off with the classic “Get Back” from their 1994 album American Thighs. The set was heavily made up of songs off that album, which is what the audience was waiting 20 years to hear. (okay maybe just me? I don’t know!) Bands who gnarly shred together, get back together, and this isn’t just a reunion tour.

They’ve recorded new music for an upcoming album. The audience was just as into the new tunes like “It’s Holy,” which mixed in seamlessly with the older songs. A few songs in, Veruca Salt greeted the crowd with a “thank you for welcoming us back!” The packed and sweaty sold-out crowd yelled a lot of “I LOVE YOU NINA!” in return all night.

“All four of us to be together is a miracle,” was the theme of the show. Louise and Nina recounted stories of their Boston show from 1997, which involved Louise throwing olives out of her bra, stage diving and giving away her gum. This night was less about the messy fun and showing off that the band still has it with both their new and old material. “You guys might know this one,” and the band starts playing “Seether,” their one and only top 40 hit. When I was younger, I watched an inhuman amount of MTV and VH1 specials from “Top 100 one hit wonders” to “I Love the ‘90s,” all of which involved discussing this hit from Veruca Salt. From that moment, I fell for the band and later dived into the rest of their catalogue. To finally see them play live was a dream, and the few other younger members of the audience were right there with me.

Nina and Louise often ended their songs by shredding together in the middle of the stage, reminding me of seeing Ex Hex just a few months ago on the same stage. Their bond seems like it could never be broken again, and when they jumped into “25,” the last song before the encore, the power of their bond and Veruca Salt as a whole, struck straight into the audience. It was some other-worldly shit. Steve and Jim left the stage, leaving Nina and Louise to finish the song. They hugged each other, and Nina finished the song on her own. When the band returned for the encore, they came bearing gifts of flowers and water for the audience. They kicked into “Shutterbug,” and the audience enjoyed a call and response with the line “there’s shit on my TV.” They followed through to the end of the encore with the bangerz “Volcano Girls” and “Victrola,” ending the set in the most perfect way. It’s one thing to watch a band be amped to play, but it’s another to feel an entire sold out crowd 1000X more stoked to be screaming along with all the words. Thank you, Veruca Salt. It was nice to welcome you back to Boston.

Battleme

Louise Post and Jim Shapiro of Veruca Salt

Louise Post and Nina Gordon of Veruca Salt